Machine: Killer Mods

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By jrignall

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. If you've never heard of it, SEMA stands for Specialty Equipment Market Association, and the SEMA show is basically the largest convention in the world for automotive aftermarket parts. And it really is h-u-g-e -- three massive convention halls filled with more than 1,300 companies spread across 5,500 booths. It was absolutely insane, and packed with virtually every automotive item you can think of, from the makers of stupid little air fresheners to full-on concept cars from some of the major manufacturers like Ford and General Motors. Needless to say I was in heaven.

The show was packed with all sorts of cars. I've already talked about the awesome 208 horsepower, supercharged Neon SRT (click here if you missed it) and the fantastic 200 horsepower GT Cruiser (click here to check it out), so today I thought I'd talk about some of the other cars that were there.

First up, Mazda had two big surprises on display at the show. The most impressive was this fabulous-looking car, which is called the Mazda Miata Mono-Posto. Just so you know, it looks even better in the metal than it does in these pictures, which simply don't do justice to the awesome, bright orange reflective paint job.

Anyway, the car is a single-seater, and is based -- as if you didn't already guess -- on the Miata chassis and running gear. Inspired by endurance cars of the 50's like the Lotus 11 and Jaguar D-Type, the Mono-Posto is a very radical roadster. Mazda enlisted the help of top tuner HKS to help with the engine mods, and its turbocharger, intercooler and intake and exhaust manifolds help boost the engine's output to 190 horsepower and 243 lb-ft of torque at 4100 rpm. HKS also supplied its Hiper Damper Coil Over suspension to help improve handling.

Other custom details include a complete body kit to give the car a totally unique look, half-doors, an air intake under the hood, cowl-mounted rear view mirror, Sparco lightweight one-piece racing seat, Sparco Formula One-style steering wheel, shortened gear shift with Momo knob, custom gauges and aluminum rollbar. The end result is simply spectacular. The Mono-Posto looks amazingly cool and unlike anything else on the road.

The other cool car at the Mazda booth was a Prot¿g¿. Yes, you heard me -- a Prot¿g¿. Mazda decided to show consumers just how much this normally bland and boring econobox can be customized using off-the-shelf aftermarket parts, and the results are stunning. The Mazda Prot¿g¿ Street, as it is called, looks very cool indeed, and is light years ahead of the standard model in terms of looks and performance.

Once again, HKS was heavily involved in its production, and thanks to its turbocharger, intercooler, intake and exhaust manifolds and a stainless steel exhaust, the engine's output is boosted 41% over stock to 172 horsepower. Torque is boosted an impressive 87% over stock to 225 lb-ft. At each corner, lowered suspension, five-spoke 18-inch wheels and Brembo disc brakes help improve stop-and-go handling, and ensure that the Prot¿g¿'s extra power is delivered to best effect.

A car I really like at the moment is Toyota's new Celica GT-S. One of the few criticisms I have (apart from the seats) (click here to read my review) is that the bigger wing and wheels that were featured on the original Celica XYR Concept (click here to see what I'm yakkin' about) were dropped in favor of smaller ones for the production model. Well, it seems like the engineering bods over at TRD (Toyota Racing Division) feel the same way, because they've been busy creating extra bits to enable you to really improve the looks of the GT-S.

The example TRD had on display at the Toyota booth sports bigger wheels (yay!), a much bigger wing (double yay!), along with new front and rear valence and side sill extensions. All this, along with a dropped suspension makes this car look much cooler and meaner than it does originally -- which is quite impressive, considering the Celica GT-S is one of the best-looking stock coupes around. Expect TRD to produce even more add-ons for the Celica over the next few months, including engine parts that should help push this super-coupe beyond the 200 horsepower mark. Yummy.

Now here's a car I should be putting into the third installment of my "Incredible Cars You Can't Buy series" -- the Audi S3. Why Audi doesn't bring this superb car to the states is totally beyond me. Probably something to do with the fact that US consumers just don't get hatchbacks. Which pisses me off, because it means we miss out on what I think is one of Audi's most appealing, affordable and capable cars. Audi's 3 series is available in a variety of trims, ranging from the rather feeble budget A3 that sports a 101 horsepower, 1.6 liter engine to the outstanding A3 1.8T Quattro that boasts 180 horses and AWD. If you really want fun, then the S3 pictured here is the ultimate iteration of this model, sporting 210 ponies and AWD. But of course, US drivers just aren't interested in anything like this. Nobody, it seems, wants a compact, lightweight, AWD high performer that's fractionally slower than a top-of-the-line Audi TT, and about $5,000 cheaper. No -- of course not. That would be really silly, wouldn't it?

Anyway, enough of my pissing and moaning, This particular S3 has a variety of cosmetic mods to improve the overall look, sports lowered suspension and engine mods which boost its output to 250 horsepower. End result: a great-looking car that delivers incredible performance. And you can't have it. Bah...

Here's one you can buy, though -- a New Beetle. This particular one has been extensively modified by Southern California tuner Dr Boltz, and sports Koni suspension that drops it two inches over stock, and great fat 18-inch wheels at each corner. The biggest news, though, is that it features a normally-aspirated VR6 engine under its hood, which replaces the stock 115 horsepower 4-banger.

Thanks to some impressive tweaking, this ultra-compact V6 engine delivers a very impressive 240 horsepower. That's enough to scoot this Bug from 0-60 in 6.7 seconds, and onto a top speed of 138 mph. Not bad at all.

On the home front, hidden away in one of the side halls of the show was this stunning Chevy Cavalier. I think this custom body kit gives it an incredibly aggressive look that's further accentuated by the massive ram air-type scoops that help feed plenty of fresh air to the supercharger.

With its chopped suspension, aggressive rear wing, tasty big wheels and stunning interior, this is definitely the best-looking Cavalier I've ever seen. I wish I hadn't lost my notes so I could give you its performance figures... Doh!

And to finish, I thought I'd highlight what I consider was the most stupid and useless thing on display at the show. And the hands-down, outright winner by miles was this moronic Landcruiser body kit. Hey! Great! I spend... um... how much -- like, oooooh $50,000 (not including tax, luxury tax and any other goodies) on an off-roader, only to spend even more money lowering it and adding a massive body kit that not only makes it look totally stupid, but also renders the machine completely useless for the purpose that it was originally designed for. What a crock...

Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading this piece. As ever, if you have comments, questions or whatever, drop me a line.

Machine is IGN For Men's daily column about cars, bikes and other cool vehicles. If you want to see certain cars, wanna talk machines, talk about today's stories, or just air your views, write to Jaz by clicking on his name above.